Design in Canadian Coins - 1935 to 1967
By Patrick Glassford | Sunday, 4 July 2004
The following content comes from Patrick Glassford website which no longer exist. To keep this information available to the public and for a perpetuity reason, we reproduced it here.
The most interesting event of the year was the issue of the silver dollar commemorative of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the succession of his late majesty, King George V, the first time in Canadian history a coin of this denomination was issued, and also the first issue in Canada of a coin to mark a particular event.
- The 1935 Mint Report
This design was introduced in 1935 and appeared on the $1.00 coin until 1988.
The new design was the first used on a Canadian coin in the latest style of the day, introduce on the coins of Ireland in 1928. This was breaking from the tradition of the same designs being similar on all denominations in the colonies. The design was by Emanuel Hahn, whom at the time was a well known sculptor from Toronto.
The voyager depicted is a fur trader of the Hudson Bay Company along with an aboriginal. The Northern Lights can be seen in the background.
This design was also intended for the loon $1.00 originally. However, the master dies were lost in transit and the mint was forced to another design (The Loon).
Coinage Designs of 1937
The maple twig was designed by Kruger Gray. It had been submitted for the Five Cent piece originally, but was chosen for the One Cent instead.
Immediately after the death of King George V, J.H. Campbell, then Master of the Royal Canadian Mint, submitted to the government certain proposals in regard to obtaining new designs for the reverses of all Canadian subsidiary coins except the dollar, drawing attention to much adverse criticism of the (then) present series and pointing out that the issue of coins with effigy of the new sovereign was a fitting opportunity for making a change.
Approval was given to the formation of a informal committee consisting of Dr. W.C. Clark, Deputy Minister of Finance, Sir Arthur Doughty, Dr. Gustave Lanctot. Chief French Archivist, Dr. Victor Morin, President of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society of Montreal, Mr. Eric Brown, Director of the National Art Gallery of Canada, Mr. Gerald Larkin, and Sir Wyly Grier, President of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, with Mr. J.H. Campbell as chairman, to advise the Minister in connection to the new designs. Mr. Larkin was unable to act, but the others met and drew up a memorandum setting out the conditions of a proposed competition, and suggesting a number of subjects for the consideration of the artists, who were left free at the same time to choose any other subjects which might appeal to them individually.
In response to the invitation sent out 76 drawings and 1 plaster model where received by 12 Canadian artists, and from these a selection was made by the committee for consideration by the government but, none being found acceptable and were rejected by the government.
It was then decided to commission 6 sculptors, who had already submitted drawings, to prepare plaster models, assigning to each the subjects to be treated. At the same time it was decided to enlist the cooperation Sir Robert Johnson Deputy Master and Comptroller of the Royal Mint, in obtaining sketch designs from 1 or 2 outstanding British artist specializing in coin designs.
Mr. Campbell was soon in the position to submit, for the consideration of the government, 2 plaster casts by Emanuel Hahn, of Toronto, and 3 sketches by Mr. G. Kruger Gray, whose medal and coin designs were known throughout the British Empire, with the recommendation that, with certain modifications to be incorporated by the respective artist in the finished models, they be accepted for the new Canadian series of coins. These designs were then accepted by the government.
The beaver was designed by Kruger Gray. It had been submitted for the ten cent piece originally, but was chosen for the Five Cent coin.
The schooner was designed by Emanuel Hahn. It had been submitted for the Twenty-Five Cent piece originally, but was chosen for the Ten Cent coin.
The caribou head was designed by Emanuel Hahn. It had been submitted for the Five Cent piece originally, but was chosen for the Twenty-Five Cent coin. The original drawings included the Big Dipper constellation in the foreground of the caribou, three of the stars made it to the coin.
Coinage Designs of 1939
The design shows the Centre Block and Peace Tower of the Parliament Buildings at Ottawa with the inscription at the top "FIDE SUORUM REGNAT" -(The King reigns on the loyalty of His People).
In commemoration of the visit of their Majesties, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, to our Dominion of Canada in May and June, 1939, the Royal Canadian Mint was called upon to strike silver dollars. In this connection, the first meeting of the Commemorative Sub-committee was held in the office of the Chairman, Dr. W. C. Clark, Deputy Minister of Finance, on Saturday, the 19th November, 1938, for the purpose of selecting the most suitable design.
Mr. Emanuel Hahn, R.C.A., S.S.C., a distinguished Canadian artist and sculptor, carried out the wishes of the Commemorative Sub-committee in designing and modeling the reverse of the silver dollar.
Coinage Designs of 1943-5
In keeping with the war measure which necessitated the change in the metallic content of the five cent coins temporarily from nickel to tombac, a new design for the five cent piece having a "Victory" motif was evolved by the Mint staff late in 1942. The (then) Minister of finance selected the most appropriate design from the sketches submitted and the master die was cut in steel direct by the Mint engraver, Thomas Shingles, in time for issue on the 1st of January, 1943.
All designs and master dies for Canadian coins had previously been prepared in the Royal Mint, London, and this was the first occasion that the original matrix and punch for a coin had ever been engraved by the Ottawa Mint.
The design has a impression of the character "V," which indicates the denomination, the Roman numeral for "Five," and is also the symbol "V" for Victory made so popular during that period by Mr. Winston Churchill. To this is conjoined a Torch, emblematic of Sacrifice, the whole designed to convey the idea that victory cometh by sacrifice and willingness to work. The design is surrounded by a Morse code message that reads - We win when we work willingly.
It starts at 6 o'clock and runs clockwise. This design was used from 1943 to 1945.
Coinage Designs of 1949
The Design depicts a three-masted vessel under full sail, representing John Cabot's ship the "Matthew" with the motto "Floreat Terra Nova" -which means may Newfoundland flourish.
The outstanding event of the entry of Newfoundland into Confederation was commemorated by the minting of a "New" silver dollar coin. Distribution began on June 24, 1949. The first going to the people of the newly admitted Province of Newfoundland.
The Master die was cut by hand directly in the steel by the Mint engraver, Thomas Shingles.
Coinage Designs of 1951
Early in 1950 the Minister of finance, Douglas Abbott, extended a invitation to artist and sculptors in Canada to submit designs for a new reverse for the five cent coin for issue in 1951. This coin was to commemorate the two hundredth anniversary of the isolation and naming of the metal Nickel.
Mr. Abbott stated:
It is particularly appropriate that Canada should thus seek to commemorate this important anniversary in the history of the metal nickel. While it was a Swedish scientist who first succeeded in isolating nickel from its ores, nonetheless during the past fifty years the metal has become predominantly a Canadian metal. Since the beginning of the century, the world has been primarily dependent upon Canada for its supplies of nickel. Today (1950) Canada produces nearly ninety percent of the world's supply and consumes only about 5 per cent of her own production.
It is because nickel is essentially a Canadian metal that the Canadian Government in 1920 ceased coining of the old silver five cent piece which was inconvenient because of its very small size, and began to coin instead on a large five cent piece out of pure nickel. I do hope that as a result of this competition, one of our Canadian artists or sculptors will be able to provide for us a new and distinctively Canadian design for our nickel coin.
The Board of Judges appointed by the minister to pass on the designs submitted was composed of Mr. W.C. Ronson, Master of the Mint, Chairman of the board, and its members Dr. Charles A. Camsell, former deputy minister of mines and resources; Mr. Jean Chauvin, Montreal, Trustee of the National Gallery of Canada; Dr. W.C. Clark, Deputy minister of finance; Mr. Edouard Fiset, Ottawa; Mr. H.O. McCurry, Director of the National gallery of Canada; Mr. Vincent Massey, Toronto, Chairman of the board of trustees of the national gallery of Canada and of the Royal Commission on National development in the arts, Letters and Sciences; Miss Anne Savage, artist, Montreal; and Mr. G.F. Towers, Governor, Bank of Canada.
The Government offered a prize of one thousand dollars to the artist who submitted the design accepted and upon completion of the plaster model. Four additional prizes of two hundred and fifty dollars each will be given for those receiving honorable mention.
Approximately ten thousand sketches, models and suggestions were received, from which the design submitted by Mr. Stephen Trenka, Thornhill, Ontario, was selected by the board as being most suitable and appropriate.
Mr. Trenka's design is a representation of a nickel refinery. Four Canadians who received honorable mention from the board of Judges and awarded prizes of two hundred and fifty dollars each were:
- Norman D. Storey, 187 Ennerdale Rd, Toronto, Ontario, with a design representing the Canada Goose.
- Charles F. Comfort, 165 Crescent Rd., Toronto, Ontario, with a design based on a cluster of maple keys (seed pods)
- Fritz Brandter, 5545 Cote St. Luc Rd., Montreal, Quebec, who's design centered around a head of grain.
- Steven Myer, 6070 Sherbrooke St. W., and Sidney Massari, 3251 St. Antoine St., Montreal, Quebec, who in co-operation submitted a design based on a nickel mill.
At a ceremony held in the mint on the 18th of December, 1950, the minister of finance struck the first coin of the new design in the presence of Canadian Government officials, representatives of the International Nickel Company of Canada, Limited; Falconbridge Nickel Company, Limited; and a number of invited guests including Mr. Trenka, the designer of the coin.
Coinage Designs of 1958
Now Know Ye that by and with the advice of Our Privy Council for Canada We do hereby proclaim, direct and determine that the design of the proposed new silver dollar shall be as hereinafter set out; The design of the reverse impression shall be a representation of a totem pole, with the word CANADA at the upper left, the figures "1858-1958" at the left, the words "British Columbia" on the right, mountains in the background, and at the bottom the word "DOLLAR".
AND WHEREAS it is desirable and Our Governor in Council has advised that a proclamation do issue prescribing the design of a one dollar piece to be struck to commemorate the one hundredth -anniversary of the gold rush and the creation of British Columbia as a Crown colony in 1858.
The master punch for the British Columbia commemorative dollar issued in 1958 was produced from the plaster model submitted by Mr. Stephen Trenka, the winner of the competition held in connection with this issue.
Coinage Designs of 1964
We do hereby proclaim, direct and determine that the design of the proposed new silver dollar shall be as hereinafter set out: The design of the reverse impression to depict, conjoined within a circle, the French Fleur-de-lis, the Irish Shamrock, the Scottish Thistle and the English Rose surrounded by the names "CHARLOTTETOWN" and "QUEBEC"; the whole enclosed by the words "CANADA" above, "DOLLAR" below and the figures "1864" at the left and "1964" at the right, together with a graining upon the edge of the coin.
In 1962, The Honourable Donald M. Fleming, Minister of Finance, announced that the Government would hold a competition to secure a new design for a Canadian silver dollar. An invitation was extended to artists and sculptors in Canada to submit designs for such a new coin, which is to be issued in 1964, to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the 1864 Conferences of the Fathers of Confederation which led up to the Confederation of Canada in 1867.
A Board of Judges was appointed as follows: N. A. Parker, Master of the Mint (Chairman): K. W. Taylor, Deputy Minister of Finance; L. Rasminsky, Governor of the Bank of Canada; Dr. C. F. Comfort, Director of the National Gallery; Dr. W. Kaye Lamb, Dominion Archivist; Marc Cinq-Mars, Architect, Montreal, PQ; and H. G. Bugden, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. (A description of the new design and the name of the artist will be announced in the 1963 report.)
The Board of Judges, who were appointed to choose a reverse design for a dollar coin to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the 1864 Conferences of the Fathers of Confederation, selected the design submitted by Mr. Dinko Vodanovic of Montreal from amongst some 168 others.
Mr. Vodanovic was presented with the first prize of $1,000.00 by the Honourable George C. Nowlan who was then Minister of Finance.
Four other prizes of $250.00 each were awarded for the four designs receiving honourable mention.
The winners were:
- H. D. Voss, Cooksville, Ontario.
- Elmer Smutny, Montreal, PQ.
- Augusts A. Kopmanis, Toronto, Ontario.
- E. H. Ellwand, Deschenes, PQ.
Coinage Designs of 1967
One Cent
For this I wished to use a very common bird, but one with symbolic overtones. I selected the dove (rock dove) -very common, in cities as well as in the country, as the pigeon, and having associations with spiritual values and also with peace.
- Alex Colville
In 1964 the Minister of Finance, Walter L. Gordon, announced that a competition open to artists, sculptors and designers residing in Canada or to Canadians living abroad would be held for the submission of coinage designs. A $2,500.00 First Prize was offered for the winning designs in each of the six coinage denominations (One Cent, Five Cents, Ten Cents, Twenty-Five Cents, Fifty Cents and Silver Dollar). These coins will be issued in 1967 to commemorate the One Hundredth Anniversary of Confederation. The competition will be closed on March 31, 1965.
A Panel of Judges was appointed to choose the six winning designs. This panel, under the chairmanship of Mr. N. A. Parker, Master of the Royal Canadian Mint, is composed of the following members: Mr. R. B. Bryce, Deputy Minister of Finance; Dr. Charles Comfort, Director, National Gallery of Canada; Dr. W. K. Lamb, Dominion Archivist; Miss Eleanor Milne, Sculptor, Ottawa; Mr. Marius Plamondon, Sculptor, Quebec City; Mr. L. Rasminsky Governor of the Bank of Canada; Mr. Douglas Ferguson, numismatist, Rock Island, Quebec; Mr. Alan Fleming, Toronto; Mr. Clair Stewart, Toronto; and Mr. Julien Herbert, Montreal all prominent designers and graphic artists.
The decision of the panel was announced in the mint report of 1966. They selected the designs of Mr. Alex Colville of Sackville, New Brunswick for all of the reverses of the 1967 Centennial coinage.
Five Cent
The rabbit (varying hare) is common, much loved by children, perhaps because of it vulnerability. It survives by alertness and speed, and is symbolically connected to the ideas of fertility, new life and promise-it is a future, or united, animal.
- Alex Colville
Ten Cent
Being the smallest coin, this requires a simple and unambiguous image. I used the mackerel, one of the most beautiful and streamlined fish, common on both coasts. The fish has ancient religious implications; I think of it as symbol of continuity.
- Alex Colville
Twenty-five Cent
The wildcat (bobcat) seemed appropriate for this coin, which is large enough for the subtle shape of this common, though rarely seen, animal. It is expressive of a certain intelligent independence and a capacity for formidable action.
- Alex Colville
Fifty Cent
The wolf, unfortunately no longer common, is here symbolic of the vastness and loneliness of Canada, and thus of our tradition and to a degree, of our present condition. Yet the wolf is not a pathetic creature.
- Alex Colville
One Dollar
The Canada goose seems appropriate for the dollar since it is one of our most majestic creatures and is particularly Canadian. There are other associations with traveling over great spaces, and a kind of serene dynamic quality in this bird.
- Alex Colville
More articles
- Canadian coins
- Canadian banknotes
- Canadian tokens and medals
- International
You can submit your own articles by contacting us.
